What Jay Duca‘s 1983 Nissan Prairie lacks in aerodynamic skill, it greater than makes up for with an abundance of character.

The Praire individuals mover caught out like a sore thumb amongst the World Time Assault Problem‘s wildest aerofoils, largest infinity wings, sharpest canards and even the vortexiest of vortex diffusers. I needed to take a more in-depth look.

The man who introduced us ‘The Little Pink Truck‘ isn’t your common automotive fanatic. Jay concocts of among the most left subject and oddball nostalgic mash-ups we’ve ever seen, documenting all of them on his common Low Requirements YouTube channel. However Jay’s newest undertaking is greater than metal and rubber – it’s additionally a little bit steel field of reminiscences.

However why a Prairie within the first place? Why a 40-year-old, under-powered, uninspiring, nugget of a automotive? For starters, it’s not simply any automotive to Jay.

As soon as belonging to his brother, it was the vessel of adventures, street journeys and reminiscences. As Jay remembers, this was the automotive that noticed him and 6 others journey to Summernats twice. The guys drove it in all places.

Wanting previous its sentimental worth, the Prairie’s distinctive field form, absence of B-pillars, dead-flat ground – to not point out rarity and classic enchantment – made it a straightforward selection for this particular undertaking. Nevertheless, reclaiming historical past isn’t all the time simple. When Jay determined to resurrect the Prairie as a drift automotive, he knew the street forward could be stuffed with challenges.

When Jay obtained his arms on the Praire, it was, in his personal phrases, “a sack of sh*t”. But, he wasn’t deterred.

Little doubt, your eyes have been drawn to the corrosion, dents, scrapes and scratches that Jay has consciously determined not to take away or patch up. Some would possibly accuse him of negligence, however with this Prairie, retaining its faults is a deliberate selection. It provides character.

Challenges like rust have been markers of a compelling journey. Whether or not it’s been a problematic part or a design dilemma, there’s nothing {that a} grinder, welder and a few good ol’ common elbow grease hasn’t been capable of resolve so far.

Jay’s first massive job was changing the front-wheel drive Nissan to rear-wheel drive. The answer? Embedding a modified KE70 Corolla chassis construction – from entrance radiator assist to the rear panel – beneath the Prairie’s shell. By positioning the ground pan larger up within the Nissan’s bodywork, it’s basically been body-dropped.

With Jay and his colleague Zac’s craftsmanship, mixed with mates like Adam and Chris lending their experience to the inside trims and paint, the Prairie was reborn with a brand new objective.

Jay stored everybody guessing when it got here to the engine, however in the end a stroked Toyota 2JZ-GE discovered its manner into the bay. The naturally aspirated inline-six is a fairly critical factor, now displacing 3.2L and that includes a CNC-ported cylinder head with 304-degree cams and a race-spec valvetrain.

Add to {that a} customized consumption that includes six particular person throttle our bodies with open trumpets and a customized exhaust that begins with a lovely hand-crafted 6-1 stainless metal header, and you possibly can wager this 2JZ roars.

An AE86 entrance suspension setup and Shockworks coilovers all spherical, plus an AE86 steering setup ensures the Prairie handles properly. This coupled with the physique drop permits the van to sit ultra-low over its 14-inch SSR MKII wheels with suitably stretched rubber.

And the inside? A wonderful mix of previous and current with a customized roll cage, Recaro LX entrance seats, and a timeless Nardi wood-rimmed steering wheel.

As you’d have picked up on, there’s a little bit work left to do, however the plan is to have this Nissan/Toyota mash-up accomplished in time for the LZ World Tour’s Australian cease subsequent month.

As Jay mused concerning the Prairie drifting alongside the world’s greatest, it’s onerous to not share his enthusiasm. If you happen to can’t discover pleasure on this amalgamation of reminiscences, customized engineering and an entire lot of affection, perhaps, simply perhaps, it’s time to search out that rusted piece of your soul and produce it again to life.

Matthew Everingham
Instagram: matthew_everingham
matt@mattheweveringham.com